2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Israel’s Song of National Triumph, PS 68, concludes with the jubilant throng anticipating the final victory of God, as the Ark is returned to the Tent in Jerusalem that King David had built for it. You will remember that David’s son, Solomon, had not yet built the Temple. In today’s passage, PS 68: 28-35, we can see many of God’s wonderful attributes revealed in David’s words. “Show Your power, O God, the power You have used on our behalf from Your Temple in Jerusalem, where kings bring gifts to You. Rebuke Egypt, that wild animal in the reeds; rebuke the nations, that herd of bulls with their calves, until they all bow down and offer You their silver. Scatter those people who love to make war! Ambassadors will come from Egypt; the Sudanese will raise their hands in prayer to God. Sing to God, the kingdoms of the world, sing praise to the Lord, to Him Who rides in the sky, the ancient sky. Listen to Him shout with a mighty roar. Proclaim God’s power; His majesty is over Israel, His might is in the skies. How awesome is God as He comes from His sanctuary-the God of Israel! He gives strength and power to His people. Praise God!”
I cannot express adequately how timely this prayerful message is today. While world leaders meet in Sharm el Shake, Egypt to find a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, we look at a message that speaks of the middle east countries (written in David’s time) in anticipation of God’s final victory. David’s words are a prayer calling on God to summon His might to show His strength on behalf of His chosen people, Israel. It would surely be an appropriate prayer for today.
Our understanding of the Scriptures tells us that this prayer will finally be answered in the millennium when the Temple will be the glory of Jerusalem, and Isaiah’s prophecy of IS 60: 1-3, 6 will become a reality. “Arise Jerusalem, and shine like the sun; the glory of the Lord is shining on you! Other nations will be covered by darkness, but on you the light of the Lord will shine; the brightness of His presence will be with you. Nations will be drawn to your light, and kings to the dawning of your new day….Great caravans of camels will come, from Midian and Ephah. They will come from Sheba, bringing gold and frankincense. People will tell the good news of what the Lord has done!” Isaiah prophesies that great flocks will arrive in Jerusalem to be used as for the sacrifices at the temple, commemorating the Messiah’s finished work on the cross. It is interesting to note that myrrh is missing from the gifts mentioned in IS 60: 6. Myrrh speaks of suffering. Christ’s atoning sufferings are finished forever! At His second advent, there will be only gold (glory) and incense (fragrance).
PS 68: 30 deserves examination for clarity. The people call on God to rebuke the “beasts that live among the reeds” and “that herd of bulls with their calves.” What is most likely meant here are animals used as symbols for certain nations. The “beasts that live among the reeds” are probably crocodiles and hippopotami representing the leaders of Egypt. The “herd of bulls with their calves” are, according to Knox, other rulers who “lord it over the peaceful herd of nations,” i.e. other anti-Semitic nations whose thinking is allied with Egypt’s. DN 2: 44 makes clear what will happen at the time of Christ’s second advent. “At the time of those rulers [evil earthly rulers in the last days], the God of heaven will establish a Kingdom that will never end. It will never be conquered, but will completely destroy all those empires and then last forever.” So does DN 4: 17, “This is the decision of the alert and watchful angels. So then, let all people everywhere know that the Supreme God has power over human kingdoms and that He can give them to anyone He chooses-even to the least important of men.” This is fully supported by JER 3: 17, “When that time comes, Jerusalem will be called ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all nations will gather there to worship Me. They will no longer do what their stubborn and evil hearts tell them.” Part of this worship will be the offering of their silver to God.
In meditating over PS 68: 31, I cannot help but think we would all be blessed by rereading IS 11: 1-11 to give us an picture of the construct of this prophetic message. I hope you will do that. That helps us to have a better picture of JER 3: 17 above too. The closing verses of PS 68, 32-35 call on earthly kingdoms to acknowledge Jehovah, the God of Israel, as worthy of homage and praise. When verse 33 describes Him as “Him Who rides in the sky, the ancient sky,” I am brought back to DN 7: 9’s description of God as the “Ancient of Days.” “While I [Daniel] was looking, thrones were put in place. The Ancient of Days (One Who had been living forever) sat down on one of the thrones. His clothes were white as snow, and His hair was like pure wool. His throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire.” A similar description in amazing detail can be found in EZK 1: 1-28, which I hope you will read. The last phrase of PS 68: 33 is clarified by REV 1: 12-15 &4: 1-6, John’s descriptions of Christ & God. God is omnipotent, strong on behalf of His people [Israel and all who have obedient faith in Him], and the God of the whole universe. His awesome power is combined with compassion enough to give strength to His people. He empowers them to carry out His work and thus, to be sanctified. PS 68 reminds Israel that victory is hers when she calls upon Him to give her strength against her enemies and praises Him. Now that the way to Him has been opened to us through the work of the cross, that same message applies to us today. Hallelujah!
PRAYER: O Lord, when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem [PS 122: 6], You would want us to understand the full implications that has for us. Just as King David was bringing the Ark back to the city You had chosen to dwell in when PS 68 was written, You are asking us to pray for the establishment of Your eternal Kingdom, the new Jerusalem representing it, to come soon. What this means is that You want us to humbly acknowledge Your omnipotence, majesty, supremacy over any other god, sovereignty, power, omniscience, compassion, and love for Your children. We dedicate ourselves to doing that. Because of the sacrifice You made of Your Son on the cross, You alone have made it possible for us to know the peace, forgiveness, joy, and blessing of being joint-heirs with Christ to Your Kingdom. We eagerly await the Day when You will call us to this place of eternal joy and fellowship with You. To that end, we dedicate ourselves to trusting, obeying, worshipping, honoring, glorifying, adoring, praising, and thanking You. We accept Your invitation to join You in Your work, believe that You have equipped us to be victorious in spiritual warfare that confronts us, and remain firm in guarding the treasure of the Gospel that You have entrusted to us with accuracy and courage of faith. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, I will begin a new series of messages on a tiny, infrequently studied book called Jude. Jude’s messages are powerful with great impact on us. You will find it just before Revelation at the end of the NT. When God is able to reveal His attributes to us through our study of the Scriptures, we grant Him the opportunity to strengthen our faith and let us know how well He equips us to handle the challenges of our lives. We are also given a tremendous motivation for making our lives a living sacrifice of service pleasing and acceptable to Him [RO 12: 1]. Know each day how our loving Abba is blessing us, and be encouraged by it. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn